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Has anyone installed this particular trickle charger or have any opinions on it? Our Ex is my wife's DD and she doesn't necessarily drive it as much as most people would like to see on a 6.0 every day, although there is typically at least one 1- 1 1/2 freeway drive once a week. I would permanently mount it under the hood and have a marine grade plug in the bumper. Would you just hook to one battery or does something else need to happen with two batteries?
I am not familiar with the one that you posted, but I did pick the Stanley fat max trickle charger this fall. Hooked the quick connect to the battery and draped the alligator clips over the steering wheel as a reminder so I didn't pull out of the garage with it hooked up.
works great and you can bump it up to 8 amps for a quick charge on something else if needed.
I installed this permanently on the #1 side (drivers) works like a champ. I have a junction box under the hood for the block heater, trickle charger and two heating elements. I sure do notice when it's plugged in on my electric bill!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000AXTUY/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1484446526&sr=8-14&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=trickle+charge r
Yuuuup. Certainly not the trickle charger but those 3 heating elements are pretty high wattage. I've gotten a bit smarter and purchased a timer for it.
I was going to say. I did the math, and believe me it could be way off, but I came up with about $0.31 a year for the trickle charger.
Charger
800 milliamps = .8 amps x 12 hours a night = 9.65
9.65 x 365 days = 3504
3505 / 1000 to achieve kilowatt hours = 3.504
3.504 x 8.8 cents per kilowatt hour = 30.81 cents
Block Heater
1500 watts x 12 hours a night = 18,000 watts
18,000 x 365 = 6,570,000 watts a year
6,570,000 / 1000 = 6,570 kilowatt hours
6,570 x 8.8 cents = 57,816 cents
57,816 / 100 = $578.16 a year to run year round at 12 hours a night.
I'm only seeing that our trucks have one heating element, am I missing something? The reason I'm concerned is because long term goal is to have one auto-disconnect shore plug and have the charger and heater wired together. I may have to rethink my plan if it's going to cost $1500 a year to plug it in.
Years back I mounted a marine trickle charger in the rear driver's side tail light opening. I pulled the tail light housing out and mounted it on the sheet metal where the swing door hinges. It's completely out of the weather easily accessed for wiring and not exposed to the high temperatures of the engine compartment (where my brother mounted his in his 6.0, F350 which failed after a few years). It also connects forward to the block heater after a switch so I can charge the batteries and preheat the engine or just Charge the batteries. The supply voltage comes from a 110 marine inlet socket mounted in the rear bumper.
Sorry I can't seem to post the photo correctly.
this is the charger i bought for mine. Works awesome and is a 4 amp charger. I mounted it behind the grill on the side where you can only see it if you look at an angle. That way you can see the status indicator. I also put a shore line plug in the bumper on the passenger side.
I'm only seeing that our trucks have one heating element, am I missing something? The reason I'm concerned is because long term goal is to have one auto-disconnect shore plug and have the charger and heater wired together. I may have to rethink my plan if it's going to cost $1500 a year to plug it in.
you're not missing anything. I was in Alaska for awhile and added additional elements in the oil pan and transmission for those brisk -20 mornings
I hooked up one of the inexpensive Schumacher units from Walmart by using the ring terminal connectors attached to the battery....with the cable routed down inside the bumper near a fog light. My Ex stays in the garage, so I just leave the charger on the floor near the truck.